Mangle.



L. MERTENS.

MANGLE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13, I915- Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

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THE COLUMBIA PLM iOflRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D- c.

'oNrr 'n sTATEs PATE T oE ro LOUIS R. MERTENS, or PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon r0 CHARLES J.

MILLER, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. 1

' MANGLE.

, Applicationfiledbecember13,1915. Serial No. 66,467.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that 1, Louis B. MERTENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mangles, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification. I V

In'sectional mangles comprising a series of rollers and a series ofsteam chests between which travel the goods to be ironed, the severalsteam chests are independently connected at one side with a steam lineand at the other side with a steam drain.' The goods to be laundried arein a wet or moist condition when they are entered between the firstroller and the first steam chest, and they are supposed-t0 be graduallyironed and dried as they pass between successive rollers and chests. Thetheoretical result is that in the several steam chests there is acertain amount of reduction in pressure in the steam, which reducedpressure steam passes thereout into the drain pipe. In practical use,however, the mangle does not have its theoretical, or at least intended,mode of operation. Obviously, the greatest absorption of heat tends tooccur in the front chests with which the moist goods first come intocontact, and after the mangle is in use a limited length of time, thesechests are rendered practically useless, if not detrimental, as will beunderstood from the following explanation. The heat absorbed in thefront chests is relatively so great that the pressure therein dropsbelow that of the lower pressure steam discharged from the rear chestsand a relatively great amount of condensation occurs therein, with theresult that a back flow of reduced pressure steam flowing from the rearchests is created in the front chests, still further increasing thecondensation therein until, after a certain amount of water accumulatestherein, they are practically dead or relatively cold. In a manglecomprising six rollers and steam chests, which'is a standardconstruction, this phenomenon exhibits itself more particularly in thefirst two chests. Efforts have been made to remedy the difliculty byadopting various expedients, but I am aware of none which has beensuccessful except the one forming the subject of this application,

Specification of Letters Patent.

towhich it has been subjected.

Patented Felt 15,1916.

which has been effective under all conditions A preferred embodiment ofthe invention is'shown in the accompanying drawings, in whiche r Figurehis a' longitudinal vertical sectional view through the mangle. Fig. 2'is a cross section on the line 2-2 of'Fig. 1.

The first two rollers of the series are each designated a, while theremaining rollers are each lettered b. j V I 0, c, are the two steamchests cooperating with the rollers a, a, and each of the remainingsteam chests are marked (Z. The steam chests are supported by a frame 0which carries bearings for the driven shafts f of the several rollers.

Along one side of the machine frame extends a manifold or header g,which is con-' nected with a source of steam. supply: and whichcommunicates with the steam chests c and cl through the pipes h, one ofwhich is shown in Fig. 2. Along the other side of the machine frame is aheader i'connected with an exhaust. Through pipes j this header isconnected with the several steam chests (Z. If we imagine this header asprolonged and as connected with the steam chests 0 in the same manner asit is connected with the steam chests (Z, we will have a clearconception of the construction in ordinary use, which causes the serioustrouble hereinbefore described. In my invention, however, the header 2'is connected, as stated, only with the steam chests (Z. and a separatedrain or header m is provided, which is connected, through pipes ma,with the steam chests c, c. A pipe 0 extends from the front end of drain2' into the rear of, and partially through, the drain m or a sufiicientdistance therein to extend beyondjthe front connecting pipe n. The rearof drain m is closed by a plug 79 surrounding the pipe 0. The resultofthe flow of exhaust steam from the dram '71 out the end of pipe 0 isto create a suction,

similar to that produced by an ejector, in the drain m in the vicinityof the exit end of pipe 0, thereby preventing a back flow of reducedpressure steam into the steam therein even after prolonged use, wherebythe efliciency of: the mangle is maintained constant.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to a constructionwherein the drain or header m is connected with precisely two chests. Itmay be connected with 1 steam chests and a series of correspondingandcooperating feed rollers, asteam supply for the several chests, asteam drain'connected with one or more of the front chests and aseparate steam discharge pipe connected with the remaining chests andex-r tending into said drain and operatingto inducea-flow vof steamthereinto from the front chests;

2. A mangle comprising front and rear steam chests and as series-0fcorresponding;

and cooperating feed rollers, a steam supply forthe several. chests, afront steam drain; one or more PIPES connecting the same with the frontchest or chests, a rear steam drain and pipes connecting the same-withthe remaining chests, and a pipe extending from i the rearsteanr draininto the front steam drain beyond the first named pipes.

In testimony of which invention,- I have hereunto setmy hand, atPhiladelphia onthis 10th day of December, 1915. r

LOUIS R; MERTENS'. 1

Copies of .this patent may be obtaine'ttfor rive cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. i

